Desire to be the best fuels Taylor

Story on Lacrosse Magazine

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations

Having a high standard in all aspects of life is important to student-athlete success.

For a collegiate lacrosse player, success goes far beyond the lacrosse field.

"Coach (Kevin) Cassese is as good a role model as you could ever have for what a leader should be," said senior Dan Taylor, an All-American, team captain and candidate for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award.

One of Cassese's pupils, Taylor is the perfect representation of what he preaches to his student-athletes.

Dominate, Taylor has done. It wasn't always easy, but a strong foundation coupled with his will to be the best, Taylor has developed into one of the best lacrosse student-athletes in the country. Lehigh's third Senior CLASS Award candidate in the last five years, Taylor hopes to be named a finalist for the award, like the previous two (Ty Souders and Jonathan Stumpf). The award recognizes the complete student-athlete who excels in the areas of classroom (academic), character (leadership), community (community service) and competition (athletics).

For as much as Taylor has impressed on the lacrosse field (128 points, and counting, over the last two seasons), he's also grown just as much outside of lacrosse.

Originally a Business major, Taylor initially struggled in the classroom, but found a major he loves and has thrived ever since.

"At first, I think I was a little bit overwhelmed with the university and what it took to be successful here," he said. "The big moment for me was switching from the Business School to English (in the College of Arts and Sciences). I realized that I wasn't interested in Business. I really enjoyed the English classes I was taking and thought I'd give that a shot. It made going to class more fun and enjoyable."

Taylor has excelled in English, owning a 3.3 GPA in his major. When things weren't going well, he could have given up and been satisfied with passing grades. Instead, he wasn't satisfied being anything but the best - a theme that's prevalent in all aspects of his life.

That desire has carried over into his leadership. Before arriving at Lehigh, Taylor was a captain of his box (indoor) lacrosse teams in Canada, so he always dreamt about being a captain in college. As a freshman on a senior-laden Lehigh squad in 2012, he found a way to lead.

"I tried to lead within my own class," said Taylor. "We had a couple guys in our class who wanted to step up and contribute. It was more of a quiet role; it was more through effort and extra work that I could try and help lead with the older guys."

One person Taylor credits for his development as a leader is former teammate, and team captain, Ty Souders who himself was a Senior CLASS Award Finalist last season.

"As my career matured, I spent a lot of time with Ty and got pretty close with him," said Taylor. "I learned how to command the respect he did and how to be a good vocal leader."

Being a good captain takes a lot of work. Taylor is someone who's willing (and happy) to put in the time. He genuinely cares about the Lehigh Men's Lacrosse program, which is more than a team, but rather a family due in large part to the culture players like Taylor create. The combination of his innate leadership skills and learned skills has molded an exceptional leader, serving as a model example for younger players.

"Dan certainly didn't need to learn much from me from a leadership standpoint. He already possessed the necessary qualities of a strong leader," said Souders. "There is a natural progression that occurs as you move through this program. Speaking from experience, you start to observe the guys a grade or two ahead of you and make little mental notes of how they handle certain situations. This practice has enabled Dan to become a better leader than the guys who came before him because he's learned from both their positive and negative characteristics."

"Dan has shown remarkable growth - physically, mentally and emotionally - from the day he stepped foot on campus," said Cassese. "He has willed and worked himself into one of the greatest players and finest leaders in Lehigh Lacrosse history."

Taylor has made his mark in the community as well, highlighted by the fall semester when the Mountain Hawks give back to the community on Wednesday afternoons. This past fall, Taylor was the Group Leader for the 11-member group who worked with the children at the Boys and Girls Club in South Bethlehem. He served as the point person who communicated with the program director at the Boys and Girls Club.

"It was really neat to see these kids and see the work of the people over at the Boys and Girls Club," said Taylor. "They do a great job of providing after-school programming. We got to play sports like basketball, kickball and football with these kids and hang out. It was really rewarding and a lot of fun."

Lehigh Lacrosse's other service programs this fall were: Calypso Elementary School Homework Club, Nitschmann Middle School CLUTCH (Committed Lions Utilizing Team Community Hour) program and Lehigh University Child Care Center volunteer program. Taylor and the Mountain Hawks don't just go through the motions; they truly embrace the local community.

"These people who we've helped in one way or another keep coming back to the team to support us," said Taylor. "You see kids from where we volunteer out at our games. It's really nice to meet those people and have an impact on their lives then they come back and support Lehigh. In the end, we're trying to create a brand to be proud of, and a template for student-athletes success."

The Mountain Hawks also take part in the programs Reading Rocks and Adopt-A-Family. Adopt-A-Family features every Lehigh team "adopting" a local family and providing them a holiday season to remember. Reading Rocks features reading and helping the students with homework for half the time and playing games the other half. A bond is often created between the student-athletes and the elementary school students.

"We do enough in the community that kids begin to recognize you and know your name," said Taylor. "That's really rewarding."

It seems like everyone knows Dan Taylor's name, for one reason or another. Whether it's his on-field success, his success in the classroom, the way he genuinely cares as a leader or the way he connects with the local community, Taylor is looked up to by many.

On the field, Taylor has continued his superb play, owning 52 points this season and 195 for his career (114 in his last 22 games). He currently stands fifth among active players in career points, alongside names like Lyle Thompson (Albany), Joey Sankey (North Carolina) and Wesley Berg (Denver). Taylor's success has gone far beyond individual accolades, though. His success is infectious and translates to those around him.

Taylor won Patriot League Championships his first two collegiate seasons and has made three straight league title games. As a freshman, he scored two of the first three goals of the league championship game at Colgate. No spotlight has been too big for Taylor.

"Dan exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete," said Souders. "It's a tough balancing act at a place like Lehigh where high demands are placed on you both academically and athletically, but Dan has easily navigated these waters."

Souders has one memory of Taylor which sums up his character. Dan is someone who flat out refuses to lose in any area of life.

"I remember doing the bench test Dan's freshman year and he missed 135 pounds. This was a one-rep max test," said Souders. "Since that time, he's taken the weight room and his nutrition to a new level. He knew there was no quick fix for strength and truly bought into the process of getting stronger because he knew how beneficial it would be to his game. From post-workout PB&Js to extra lifting sessions in the fall, it's this dedication that most of the world doesn't see or hear about, combined with his on-field talent, that has made him such a great player and more importantly, captain."

Fast forward four years and Taylor now benches 235 pounds. He's increased his body weight from 172 pounds to 212 pounds. Taylor's gains have pushed his teammates to do the same.
"When guys see the best player on the team staying after practice to do extra work, they have no choice but to follow," said Souders.

Taylor's success goes back to what Coach Cassese preaches: dominating all areas of a student-athlete life.

"I think the fact that Lehigh has been able to produce Senior CLASS Award candidates for a continued period of time shows that the Lehigh Lacrosse player has become a template for success," said Taylor.

"Dan is one of those rare athletes you get to work with in this profession," said Cassese. "You always hope that your best player is your fiercest competitor, your hardest worker, your most intelligent player and your best leader. Dan is all of that... and more."

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #1 Army on May 1, 2026 , Loss , 6, to, 13

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #3 Boston University on April 28, 2026 , Win , 16, to, 15

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at Lafayette College on April 24, 2026 , Win , 14, to, 12

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Navy on April 18, 2026 , Win , 19, to, 7

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at Colgate University on April 10, 2026 , Loss , 7, to, 9

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #4/5 Princeton University on March 31, 2026 , Loss , 8, to, 15

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at #18/19 Army on March 28, 2026 , Loss , 11, to, 14

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